BradfordFacts

Fact-checking Brad Bradford, one post at a time.

Topic

policing

5 claims · All topics

Missing Context

Bradford praises Tory's record. The 911 wait he campaigns on peaked in Tory's last year.

Claim“Any list of Toronto mayors that puts John Tory at the bottom is ridiculous. History will look kindly on his steady leadership and economic focus. https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/we-asked-who-torontos-best-modern-mayor-was-heres-how-youve-answered-so-far/article_4bc84657-9966-4ab5-9a66-654e222e96ac.html”

Priority 1 response averaged 12.8 minutes in 2010 and 23.1 in 2023, Tory's final year. It is now 13.5, which the police service calls a 42% improvement.

Misleading

Bradford says families are "counting the minutes" waiting for 911. That wait was cut in half two years ago.

Claim“Families deserve to know they won't be counting the minutes after calling 911. Seniors deserve to feel safe taking transit. That's why I'm committing to hiring 1,000 new front-line police officers to strengthen neighbourhood policing, support officers who are being asked to do more, and help Toronto catch up with other major cities. The status quo isn't enough. Let's build a city we can be proud of: https://bradford26.ca/sign-up”

His numbers are real; the need isn't. 911 response is back at 2010 levels, and Toronto fields more officers per crime than Montreal. The shortfall his chart draws as 70% is, on Toronto's own service record, zero.

False

Bradford says Chow declined every chance to act on public safety. She voted for his own safety motion in March.

Claim“Every chance Mayor Chow has had to take action on public safety, she's decided not to. She's made her peace with the status quo. I haven't.”

One counter-example kills a universal claim. In March, council adopted a transit-safety motion Bradford moved himself, and Chow voted for it, twice. The wider record says the same thing five more ways.